A card having a contactless communication function has conventionally been made use of in an electronic commerce. A contactless IC card has been known to be used for electronic payment or in using public transportation such as trains or buses.
There are trading cards (or collectable cards) which are cards different in sense from cards (single variety) used generally in electronic commerce. The trading cards refer to cards on which variously different pictures are depicted and a purpose thereof is collection and exchange. Namely, the trading cards are cards manufactured and sold aiming at exchange or collection of pictures represented on each surface thereof.
Conventional trading cards have mainly been ornamental, and importance has been given on a picture itself depicted on the surface. In contrast, the present technology pays attention to add to trading cards, values (variety) from a new point of view.
An exemplary embodiment provides a trading card that includes a main portion having layers of paper in a sheet form and an electronic component for contactless communication, which is contained in the main portion. The electronic component includes an antenna which transmits and receives a radio signal involved with contactless communication, a storage portion which stores data related to a character represented on the main portion and includes a first storage area in which writing of additional data is restricted and a second storage area in which writing of additional data is not restricted, and a circuit which writes data received from an external apparatus through contactless communication into the second storage area. Any character of a plurality of characters, information associated with the character, and information for playing are represented on one surface of the main portion. A mark indicating a position of the antenna is represented at a position of arrangement of the antenna on the other surface of the main portion. The data related to the character includes identification information for specifying the character and identification information representing an application in which the character is available or a series of applications in which the character is available.
An exemplary embodiment provides a trading card that includes a main portion having any character of a plurality of characters represented on at least one surface and an electronic component for contactless communication, which is contained in the main portion. The electronic component includes a storage portion which stores data related to a character represented on the main portion and a circuit which writes data received from an external apparatus through contactless communication into the storage portion.
Identification information for specifying the character may be represented on at least one surface.
Information for sensing erroneous recognition may be represented on the at least one surface. Information for playing may be represented on the at least one surface.
The data related to the character represented on the main portion may include identification information for specifying the character.
The data related to the character represented on the main portion may include identification information representing an application in which the character is available or a series of applications in which the character is available.
The electronic component may include identification information specific to the electronic component.
The storage portion may include a first storage area in which writing of additional data is restricted and a second storage area in which writing of additional data is not restricted.
The first storage area may be a read only area in which writing of data is restricted but from which data can be read, and the second storage area may be a writable area into which data can be written and from which data can be read.
A character ID may be stored in the first storage area.
The electronic component may further include an antenna for transmitting and receiving a radio signal involved with contactless communication, and a mark indicating a position of the antenna may be represented at a position where the antenna is arranged, on a surface different from a surface of the main portion where the character is represented.
The mark may include at least a part of an aluminum layer formed on the surface different from the surface of the main portion where the character is represented and a logo mark formed on the aluminum layer.
The antenna may be arranged at a position other than a central portion of the main portion.
The entire antenna may be located above or below a centerline in a longitudinal direction of the trading card.
At least a part of the main portion may be formed of layers of paper.
The surface on which the character is represented may be subjected to glossing treatment.
As the glossing treatment, a resin material in part or in its entirety is formed on the surface on which the character is represented.
An exemplary embodiment provides a trading card set that includes a plurality of trading cards described in any paragraph described above. Each of the plurality of trading cards may have a character different at least in part represented.
An exemplary embodiment provides a trading card set that may include at least one of the trading cards described in any paragraph described above, a bag portion which accommodates the at least one trading card, and a shielding structure which reduces electromagnetic waves involved with the contactless communication and prevents contactless communication by the electronic component contained in the trading card accommodated in the bag portion.
The shielding structure may include at least two plate-shaped members provided with a conductive member on a surface of the plate-shaped member that are arranged as aligned in a direction perpendicular to the trading card.
The shielding structure may be a card accommodated in the bag portion together with the trading card and having a metal layer.
The shielding structure may be a metal layer provided on an inner surface of the bag portion.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.